I’ve been thinking quite a bit about places and cultures. I think I began to think about it because going to Alice Springs was like visiting a completely different culture in many ways and there’s a bit of that reverse culture shock thing. And then I went up to the Blue Mountains for the weekend. I’d never noticed before that places have quite distinctive cultures. Or at least I wasn’t aware that I lived in one in Sydney…perhaps because I’ve always been in it.

Although, I’ve never fully felt like I’ve fitted into that culture…probably that any big city brings. I think that I can play the game of professionalism and efficiency and living the ‘city’ way, but I think I’ve realised, I don’t want to play anymore. This culture feels to me to be a culture that induces shame. If you don’t play the game, you feel ashamed. If you don’t have the work to do or you don’t know how to do it, or you don’t want to do it ‘professionally’, there is this shame I think that comes with it. I suppose I feel this way. And I think I’ve not said no to that culture before because the shame has locked me in.

But I think in seeing the way another culture does things, particularly workplaces, I realise its not just that I am odd and don’t fit into this shame culture, or city culture, it’s actually not weird. There are others who’ve got fed up and ditched it and said hey, don’t you shame me into playing that game. And I find it so refreshing to know that simply, I don’t have to play the game.

And so I won’t.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 31st, 2006 at 3:55 pm.